Rebellion Never Dies, V for Vendetta

London has succumbed to a fascist government. Any voice of reason or rebellion has seemed to vanish. The people have no hope in sight. Until suddenly a caped figure appears and explodes a court building seemingly out of nowhere, playing the 1812 Overture as fireworks go off.

The story follows V (played by Hugo Weaving), a Guy Fawkes mask-wearing vigilante/terrorist who wants to take down the fascist government and rally as many people as possible. He mostly does this with explosives and throwing knives. Evey Hammond (played by Natalie Portman) is rescued by V from a group of rapist cops who were approaching her in an alley. Evey gets caught up in V’s exploits and is forced to come to terms with how she feels in the oppressive environment and what she wants to do about it. As the plot progresses, V and Evey evade the government, uncovering dark conspiracies in the process.

V’s personality is one of the selling points. His speeches are filled with grand ambition and feel humorous at the same time. The action scenes are creative and impactful while maintaining dark elements. There are many dark moments in the movie that are thought provoking as well. The film seems to strike a good balance with action and meaningful moments. It never seems like too much at once. It’s interesting to learn about V as the movie goes on and dives deeper into why the government is like this. The movie at its core is a thriller and is super well done throughout.

Evey’s personality at the beginning is a strong contrast to V’s grandiose character. It is quite obvious she does not like the government, but also would prefer not to identify with a mad man on a rampage. She seems to be representative of the common person in most scenarios. She also has the most character development in the story and works well in conjunction with V’s motives. Natalie Portman has the best acting in the movie and has the most dramatic scenes to get the point across.

One of the main themes of the movie is how an idea can’t die. The concept of rebellion will always live on in some fashion. V embodies this in each of his attacks on the government. A goal of his is to seem as opposing and unkillable as possible. The Guy Fawkes mask he wears represents this as the movie starts with showing Guy Fawkes’ execution. V tries to spread the fire of rebellion in everyone he can, so he can fight the government and also so everyone understands what needs to be done.

V for Vendetta holds up as a well done thriller and it has made its impression in the world. The Guy Fawkes mask is the main indicator of this. The mask itself had made its way to protests across the globe from the UK to Hong Kong. The story and concept resonated with people so well that the movie has made its place in history.